Friend on the Inside
by MissWritingStoriesObsessed
Summary: When thirty American kids go missing in the middle of Islamabad, Pakistan, Elizabeth requests the help of National Security Adviser Ellen Hill. Whilst fighting to get the children home safe, the pair strike up an unlikely friendship. First story. Enjoy. (Complete)
1. Chapter 1

**Friend on the Inside.**

Hello! So, this is my first story for Madam Secretary!

It's based around the friendship of Elizabeth and Ellen Hill.

~When Elizabeth turns to Ellen in a tough situation she realises she could have a friend on the inside.

Thank you so much to **'Sardixiis'** who beta'd this story for me and made it somewhat more readable! I hope everyone enjoys this and you all decide to leave a review at the end!  
 **Disclaimer – I own nothing.**

* * *

"Ellen!" Ellen Hill turned to see who had shouted her name as she left the Oval Office.

"Madam Secretary…"

"Please, call me Elizabeth." Bess smiled warmly as the two began to walk side by side.

"Elizabeth, is there something I can help you with?" Bess nodded, turning to grab a file off Blake who was following her.

"I need your help with something. I was wondering if you could stop by my office so we could discuss it?" She handed over the file to the National Security Adviser who stopped and took a step to the side so she could focus on what she was reading.

"You want to evacuate a school in Pakistan?"

"Yes, last week Saint Anne's school gave the go ahead on a trip to Pakistan. I am still unsure why Pakistan was chosen, but either way, there are 30 innocent lives in that school and with our current situation in the country the Headmaster is concerned about their safety. He rang the State Department last night. I only got the message this morning," Elizabeth explained as she quickly took a look around since she didn't want to be overheard.

Of course, she wouldn't worry the president with this unless she had to but she needed some help. Watching carefully as Ellen continued reading she wanted to start pacing or do something to alleviate her nerves.

"With the play for power in Pakistan and the suggestion of riots, I think this might be our only chance to get them out alive and if Jibral Disah or his group get wind of a school full of American kids…" Bess trailed off and Ellen realised what she was saying.

Both women sighed, but it was Bess who seemed more on edge.  
When she got the call she so badly wanted it to be a joke, some cruel joke, but it wasn't and now this was on her. The press would say the State Department was at fault, but everyone knew that if this went wrong it would be her that took the blame.

Now, she was looking at Ellen Hill wondering just how she could be so calm.

Ellen scanned the file again before closing it and handing it back to Elizabeth.

"We can set up a meeting, although I do have a pressing meeting in a half hour."

"Can you reschedule?"

"It's my daughter's parent-teacher conference, so I am afraid not." Elizabeth nodded in understanding, though part of her thought about pressing the issues. She'd missed many of those conferences for the job when her kids were growing up. Hell, even now she'd missed one or two. Instead, she decided against pressing and handed the file back to Blake. Folded her arms, going through all the things she could say.

"How old is she?"

"18 nearly."

"So, this is her last year?" Ellen nodded as the pair began to walk again.

"Yes, thankfully she is going to the University of Virginia, so she won't be far away." Bess smiled.

"If only my kids had the same idea," Bess mused out loud.

"If you'll excuse me, ma'am, I must go. Please call my secretary. She will set up an appropriate time for me to come by and we can discuss this matter further,"

Ellen told her, giving her a smile that she hoped would reassure the Secretary of State.

"Of course. Speak to you later."

Bess watched the woman leave. She knew Ellen well, and she was all for a team of women in positions of power. Maybe Ellen could be her friend on the inside, someone she could discuss everything with, someone she could moan to when the President wanted to blame her for something. Smiling she walked out to her own motorcade, thinking to herself how the meeting later might run a little more smoothly.

* * *

It was getting close to seven when Ellen Hill finally arrived at her office.

"Ellen Hill is here, ma'am," Blake said with a smile as he entered her office, Ellen only a few paces behind him.

"Thank you, Blake. Are any of the staff still here?" Blake nodded.

"Nadine is still in her office. Daisy and Matt are here also." Bess nodded with a smile and watched as Blake left. Standing up to greet Ellen she offered her a seat on one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"Thank you for coming back so late."

"My work day starts at 0600 and doesn't finish until 2200, ma'am." Bess smiled. That seemed to be how her work days went too. Sitting quietly for a moment she realised she couldn't get lost in her thoughts again. Getting back to her feet she motioned to the counter top at the other side of the room before offering Ellen a drink.

"Can I get you a drink or anything?" Ellen shook her head.

"I am okay for now, but thank you. I brought with me some more information on the school and the few options we have."

She pulled out another folder from her briefcase and handed it over to Elizabeth.

"What would you recommend?" Ellen sighed slightly.

"Madam Secretary, from the intel we gathered and with what we know about the situation in Pakistan, I don't think there is an easy way. My advice would be to evacuate them with the Embassy should it come to that or get in contact with the school and advise them to leave the country. Once they are in either Afghanistan or India we would have a military squadron pick them up, but sending US forces into Islamabad might compromise our current mission." Bess nodded as she scanned the documents.

"Okay. Well, I don't see the Embassy evacuating anytime soon. Do we have anyone who can help get these people out of the country?" Ellen nodded, leaning forward to point to a section Elizabeth hadn't scanned yet.

"We have a task force out there, more so for surveillance than anything else but they are trained. We have a unit in the embassy. Their job is to protect the staff, but I think it may be possible to give a few of them different orders. However, I looked into the school and to me, it seems like the best option would be to have them make the trip to Afghanistan. If they can make it to Torkham in Afghanistan, then they can gain access to the Forward Operating Base run by the US."

"If they get there we get them home, but they would have to pass through the border and that could be difficult. Americans were told to come home if they could due to terror threats…"  
"If too many go through it might tip off the Pakistani Government," Ellen interrupted.

"How long will it take them to get there?" Bess asked, standing up from her desk and walking around so she could pace. Something she had learnt about herself was that pacing made her think.

"Around four hours, maybe closer to three, but I would say four after you add in the traffic and the children needing to make various stops." Bess stopped, turning to Ellen. Her mind hadn't stopped since she got the news and had been running a little faster since her chat with Ellen at the White house, she knew dealing with situations like this one was her job, but when thirty lives were on the line, she was happy for the help.

"How far away from the international airport are they?" Bess asked running a hand through her hair before returning to her desk, hoping to get a map up on her computer to try and visualise it better.

"Would it be wise to send them there? The airport could be a target." Ellen had thought about the airport herself, having security from the Embassy take them, but she knew it wouldn't be safe. Even with an escort the airport could be a target and despite what people thought they wouldn't be safe when they got inside anyway.

Ellen wanted to reach out and touch Elizabeth's arm, tell her to just stop for a moment, but she knew it wouldn't work so instead she interlinked her own fingers, found a spot on the floor and began to focus on it, letting her mind run through the situation and thinking of every exit strategy and military tactic she could use.

"No," Bess admitted as she looked up. Sitting down she began to toy with her ring.

Admittedly she could do with a power nap or four days of sleep and she knew had thirty lives not been at risk she would have asked Ellen to come back in the morning, but right now she had to hold back the yawning and focus. Reaching down she took off her heels and undid the top button on her shirt before she once again stood up. She knew if she sat down for long enough she'd eventually let sleep take over.

"Ma'am, if I can ask…"

"Elizabeth, please…"

"Sorry, Elizabeth, do you know why these kids are in Pakistan anyway? I understand France, Spain, Poland, maybe Germany, but Pakistan?" Ellen questioned. Bess frowning slightly before walking to the office door. Pulling it open she stuck her head out and called Blake's name.

"Yes, ma'am," Blake said before she'd even closed her mouth. His way of seeing things two minutes into the future would be a gift Elizabeth always wished she'd have.

"Is Nadine still here?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Okay, I need her in here, and also call the White House. See if the President and Russell Jackson are still there."

"Yes, ma'am…"

"How does a long night at the White House sound to you?" Bess asked Ellen as she moved back into her office, giving a small smile to the National Security Adviser.

"It wouldn't be the first time, and I doubt it will be the last. Much like you, I want these kids home."

"Ma'am, you wanted to speak to me." Nadine took a few steps into the office, smiling as a way of acknowledging Ellen.

"Yes, the Saint Anne's school are currently in Pakistan, a class of around 30 students went on a school trip. I want to know why." Nadine frowned but nodded anyway.

"I will find out right away, ma'am. Anything else?" Bess shook her head.

"I will fill you in tomorrow morning, but I really do need that information."

"I will try and find out as much as I can tonight, but I assume most of the staff has gone home."

"Home phone, personal emails, this is important. I really need to know why they're there, so blame me, blame the White house, I don't care. Wake them up, interrupt their evening. Hell, take Blake to their houses if you have too!"

Bess took a breath calming herself a little.

"I spoke to that Headmaster this morning but he never told her why and I never thought to ask, so Nadine, please, find out." It sounded slightly like begging and Bess wondered if that would get her anywhere, but instead she pushed the thought aside, moving to stand next to her desk once more and putting a hand down to steady herself.

"Of course, ma'am." Nadine nodded with a smile before leaving the office. Bess took a moment to look at Ellen before smiling.

Ellen had seen Elizabeth in some of the worst situations that they'd been in.

She knew how Elizabeth dealt with things, but this was all new. She assumed the saying 'behind closed doors' applied to Elizabeth. Unlinking her hands, she turned to look at the secretary as soon as she asked for her Chief of Staff but never moved from the chair. She couldn't blame her for pacing then sitting down for a moment and then getting up again. Ellen knew that had she stayed with the Pentagon much longer she would have worn a hole in the carpet from all of her own pacing.

"I think you and I could become somewhat good friends, Ellen." Elizabeth's comment brought Ellen back from her thoughts and she chuckled slightly.

"Is that your way of saying I will be your friend on the inside?"

"I can hardly bitch about the president to the president…" Ellen laughed and nodded.

"I guess not."

"As much as I enjoy being a woman in a position of power, I can't do it alone." Ellen laughed again.

"With great power comes great responsibility," Ellen said with a small smile as she watched Bess sit down once again, assuming that within the next two minutes she would stand back up.

"And right now, our responsibility is getting those kids home," Bess told her before letting her head roll back and sighing.

Yes, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! I hope it was enjoyable to read and you decide to leave a review to let me know what you thought!

Bethany-Louise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Friend on the inside.**

Thank you for the lovely reviews, because of them I have decided to add this chapter! Let me know if you want more! Enjoy!

Again, a big thank you to **'Sardixiis'** for proof reading this chapter!

 **Disclaimer – I don't own anything.**

* * *

When Elizabeth first started out as Secretary of State she had been under the impression she would be working in a nine to five office. After a few months on the job she'd been called in at eleven in the evening and found most of her staff still there. Then when she got to the White House she had realised that it never stopped. Much like her own staff, the White House staffers had been as busy as ever. So, when her days seemed to go from seven in the morning until anytime past ten at night, she saw it as normal.

Both Elizabeth and Ellen were still in her office at twenty past two in the morning, working on the one strategy that they'd both agreed on. Get the kids to Afghanistan, get them on a plane, and get them home. However, they would be wrong if they thought it would be that easy.

"I know that you want a solid plan, but you also need sleep. Why don't you go home? Even if Nadine has gotten some more information there is not a lot we can do now," Ellen told her.

Bess was now sitting down on the settee whilst Ellen remained in the chair by Elizabeth's desk.

"It's early morning here. Nine-hour time difference making it around mid-day in Pakistan?"

Bess had worked out the timing in her head and knew Ellen had too. She also knew that Ellen was aware that they could do something, but that she wanted Bess to get some sleep too.

"I can't go home. I can't sleep until I know we have a plan in place," Bess told her firmly.

It was true. Thirty kids were in a foreign country, a country that was currently under a state of emergency, and still they had no idea why those kids were out there.

Ellen nodded slightly, folding her arms across her chest as she willed herself to focus. She assumed Elizabeth was doing the same, but even she knew she couldn't last much longer before she would need to go home and get some sleep.

"Would you like to inform the President?" Ellen asked her.

Blake had come in a while ago and informed them both that Conrad and Russell were still there, but hours had passed since then. Chances were they'd both called it a day.

"Not yet. I want to go to him with a solid plan. We need a solid plan…" Elizabeth said.

"Getting them to the base is Afghanistan is their best option. Right now things in Islamabad look stable so we need to move quickly. If we want them to come home safe and not traumatized, we need to get them out before the government starts to collapse and people start to riot," Ellen told her, knowing full well that they had little to no time at all.

All the intel she'd gathered pointed towards a play for power in the country and everyone in politics knew that meant riots, violence, and terror for everyone else. That was even more common in the Middle East.

Moments passed where the two didn't speak. Nadine walked in within those few moments, notebook in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

"Nadine, please tell me you have something," Elizabeth pleaded, moving towards her chief of staff.

"The headmaster is coming in tomorrow morning to explain further, but I think I know why those children are there, and it's not good news," Nadine said, moving towards Elizabeth's desk to put her coffee mug down and open her notebook.

She took the chair next to Ellen and waiting for Bess to move behind her desk.

"The school trip wasn't supposed to be to Pakistan," Nadine started.

"I thought the parents received letters about the trip and it explained that Pakistan was the chosen destination," Ellen interrupted.

"They did receive letters, but not the right ones. The parents were and still are under the impression their children are in Greece on a religious education trip."

Nadine watched as both women took in the news. Ellen was the first to recover.

"Greece is close to three thousand miles away. How the hell did no one know about that?"

Elizabeth looked up at Ellen when she heard the woman curse.

"The Headmaster did, but by the time he found out they had already been there a day, and he assumed they would be in the country for no more than five days. He thought no one would know."

"So, he trusted a load of kids not to tell their parents they ended up in Pakistan instead of Greece? What about the staff? Why didn't they do anything?" Elizabeth asked, shaking her head as she too tried to wrap her head around the information.

"There is one more thing, and I think after you hear this, Ma'am, you should take it to the White House."

Elizabeth nodded at what Nadine said, now dreading what she would hear next. How could this get any worse?

"There's an assistant that accompanied the children to Pakistan. His name is Amir Nadeem. He was born in Pakistan, but has been living legally in the U.S for the last eight years." Nadine stopped, looking between the two women and wishing it was someone else giving them the information.

"So, he was born in Pakistan, but he's technically a U.S citizen…" Elizabeth encouraged her.

"He was the childhood friend of Jibral Disah. According to the FBI when they spoke to Amir Nadeem a few months ago he said he hadn't spoken to Disah in years. But, Ma'am, Amir requested to accompany the children," Nadine explained

Elizabeth stayed quiet for a moment processing all the information Nadine had just given her. Amir Nadeem wasn't going to bring those kids home. He would most likely use them to get back in with Disah. That was if he hadn't already reunited with him. If he wasn't going to use them to get back in with Disah then Elizabeth figured they would end up being used for suicide missions or ransom demands. Neither of which gave Bess any comfort.

Ellen had instantly felt sick when she realised what Nadine was saying. There was no way those kids were going to get home within the next five days. Ellen wondered if Nadeem had planned this all along, if this was his way of proving to Disah that he was useful to him. Ellen considered all of the possible outcomes, but even the best one wasn't pretty.

"Nadine is right, ma'am. We need to inform the President. There is no way that this is a coincidence," Ellen told her, the worry apparent in her voice.

Bess only nodded, letting her head fall back against the chair.

"Thank you, Nadine," she said, hoping her Chief of Staff would get the hint and leave the room.

After a moment Nadine picked up her coffee mug and notebook, giving both women a small smile before leaving and closing the door behind her.

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," Bess muttered.

She wondered how it had gone from a simple rescue mission to terrorism, and just what that meant for her. She ran through the checklist in her head. Get more intel. Come up with a plan. Inform the President. Then make sure her plan was absolutely perfect, again.

"Elizabeth?"

Bess looked across at Ellen when she heard her name.

"You need to go home and get some sleep. This is no longer a mission to get these kids home. This is leading to terrorism," Ellen told her firmly.

Both women needed sleep at this point.

"We will continue this in a few hours, but right now you need to get some rest," Ellen pushed, waiting for Elizabeth's reply.

"Fine. At seven we meet back here. We gather all the intel we can find on this Amir Nadeem and just what he's planning to do. Then we find a way to bring those kids home," Bess explained, more so to herself than Ellen, but at least Ellen now knew what the plan was.

Bess watched as Ellen gathered her things, taking the time to note how this wasn't really her job. Ellen was there to advise the President on matters of national security, not assist the Secretary of State with rescue missions. Although, she didn't think Ellen minded. Bess was under the impression that Ellen would want to help in whatever way she could.

"Would you like my motorcade to drop you home?" Bess asked for no other reason than feeling bad for making her stay so long.

Ellen shook her head with a smile.

"I have my own security detail who drive me. But, thank you. I hope you go home and get some sleep. I doubt you'll be any use to anyone, let alone those kids, if you're running on empty," Ellen carried on.

"You're not going to wait here until I leave, are you?" Bess asked, chuckling a little.

"I would, but I don't think that would make me very popular. My phone is on if you need me. I'll see you later."

Ellen stood up from the chair she'd been sitting in and picked up her briefcase. Elizabeth watched as Ellen pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket, straightening her jacket with her free hand before finally saying goodnight.

"Thank you, Ellen," Bess called after her as she left.

Sighing, Bess let her head roll back again. Ellen was right. She was no use to anyone if she didn't get some sleep. Sitting up again she looked over her desk. All of this could remain where it was until tomorrow morning. Picking up the personal items she needed she began to shove them all in her bag, wondering if she should call Henry and tell him she was coming home. Deciding against it, she finished up packing her bag and wandered out into her outer office. She knew Blake would still be around, and she figured Nadine would still be in her office, quite possibly researching more of this Amir Nadeem or maybe researching some of the other ways they could get those kids home.

"Would you like me to call your motorcade, ma'am?" Blake asked making her jump slightly.

"Please. Is Nadine still here?"

"No, she left around ten minutes ago. She did say you could reach her at home if you needed to," Blake explained before picking up the phone to call her security detail.

"Right," Bess said quietly.

She was pleased that Nadine had gone home, and she would feel even better when Blake went too. Her staff worked hard, and she knew sleepless nights and nasty coffee were not part of the job description. Once Blake put the phone down, she gave him a small smile.

"Go home, get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day," Elizabeth told him, giving him a moment to nod in response before she headed to the elevator.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day. She knew as soon as she was with Ellen the next morning neither of them would stop until they had a plan. At least she knew she would have the help. Thirty kids, over three thousand miles away and she and the state department were their only hope.

* * *

I hope everyone enjoyed this. If you want more, please let me know!  
Until next time, Bethany – Louise.


	3. Chapter 3

**Friend on the Inside.**

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the reviews! I am so pleased everyone is enjoying this!

Again thank you to ' **Sardixiis'** for being an amazing beta.

I hope you all like this chapter.  
 **Disclaimer – I don't own anything.**

* * *

Elizabeth thanked her security before pushing open her front door. Stepping over the threshold she was pleased to be home, even if her mind was still working.

"Hey babe."

The sound of Henry's voice brought the slightest bit of comfort to her as she pushed the door shut and dropped her bag.

"Hey, you didn't have to wait up," Elizabeth said, taking a few steps closer.

Henry smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. He knew it was bad. It was always bad when she was working past midnight. The bad was only made worse by the fact they couldn't really talk about it.

"I wanted to. How was your day?" He asked, letting her out of his arms.

Bess smiled a little, shrugging her coat off.

"Worse than fine, but better than catastrophic."

Elizabeth chucked slightly at her own description of her day. Henry took her coat from her, draping it over the chair in the entry way.

"I have to be back in the office for seven."

Henry nodded in understanding. He often wanted to say no. Tell her to stay in bed, put whatever it was off for another hour, but he knew he couldn't.

The pair then waked in silence upstairs, and that silence continued until Elizabeth was fully changed and laid in bed next to Henry.

"Would you trust the school to take Ali or Jason on a trip?" Bess asked before realising how vague that sounded. "I mean overseas."

Elizabeth watched as Henry thought about it.

"I don't know. Of course, I would want them to go and experience a different country, but I would worry because it's not us taking them," Henry explained, wondering if this had something to do with her 7 o'clock meeting.

"Despite having concerns, I would trust the staff and both Alison and Jason to stay safe. Not just overseas, but in this country too," Henry added.

"What would you do if Ali ended up somewhere like Pakistan instead of say Spain or Greece?" Bess tried to word the question so it was as close to the real situation as possible without giving too much away.

Henry sat up and frowned. Yes, this definitely did have something to do with her seven o'clock meeting.

"Ali's here, babe. She's safe, and if that did happen then I would do whatever I needed to in order to get her home," Henry reassured her as he laid back down.

They laid facing each other and although Henry wanted to question her a little more, he also wanted her to get some sleep.

Reaching over to gently stroke her cheek he wondered what she was thinking about. If it was him or the kids. If she was still thinking about her day. Wondering about tomorrow's meeting.

"Why don't you go to sleep, babe," Henry suggested before he leant forward, placing a kiss on the side of her face.

"I wish I could tell you what's going on. It's been such a long day and I wish I could talk about it and let you help me…" Bess said almost silently.

"I know. But whatever it is you'll work it out. You always do."

"I really hope so."

Bess laid still for a moment, the two of them in silence. She would wait until Henry had closed his eyes before she got out of bed again.

She wanted to check on the kids. Henry was right. Alison was safe as were Jason and Stevie, but she wanted to check on them herself.

Pushing herself off the bed she grabbed her cardigan from her dressing table and quickly put it on. Heading out of the room she stood silently in the hall for a moment. Henry's words meant more to her than he would probably know _'I would do whatever I needed to in order to get her home.'_ Those would be the words she remembered tomorrow when she had to put together a plan.

Walking the few steps across the hall to Alison's room she pushed the door open slightly to see if she Alison was awake or not. Thankfully her youngest daughter was sound asleep. Pushing the door open further she smiled a little. It was so nice to see her so peaceful.

Elizabeth got close enough to lean down and lightly kiss Alison's forehead. She took a step back, but remained in the room for a short while longer just looking at how peaceful and sweet she looked. Alison was here; she was safe.

Leaving the room, she pulled the door closed as quietly as she could, hoping the slight sound wouldn't wake Ali up.

Once she was sure Alison was still asleep she moved to Jason's door. Those kids on that trip were around thirteen years old. It was probably the first overseas trip they'd been on with their school, and it could quite possibly be the last.

Pushing Jason's door open, she smiled to see him laid on his back, the comic book he was reading was open and still in his hand, but threatening to fall. The first thing Bess did was take the book and put in on his nightstand before turning off the lamp.

After each movement she made she would wait a few seconds before moving again, just to be sure he didn't wake up. Then again, out of all three of her kids, Jason would be the one to sleep through world war three.

Like with Alison, she leant down to kiss his forehead, waiting a little longer before leaving, telling herself that he was there. It wasn't him in Pakistan. Jason was home and safe.

She moved further down the hall and came to a stop outside of Stevie's door. Listening closely, she could hear her eldest daughter talking to someone over Video Call. Although, she had no idea what they were speaking about, Elizabeth had to admit the sound of Stevie chatting and laughing brought her comfort.

Much like the sight of Ali and Jason both soundly asleep.

Bess debated whether or not to knock and go in. Say goodnight, kiss her forehead, but as she kept on listening she decided against it. She could hear Stevie's voice, her laugh, and that would be enough for her to sleep a little easier in the next few hours.

As Bess walked back to her own room she stopped in the doorway. She'd left Henry asleep, but now he was wide awake, staring at the door.

"I wanted to check on the kids before I went to sleep," Bess explained as she walked further into the room, closing the door behind her.

"I understand, I assumed you would check on them. I know you can't talk about work, but whatever it is you'll figure it out. And, whilst you're in the office saving the world, the kids will be safe," Henry told her as she got back into bed.

Both of them laid down, snuggling closer to each other.

"They're safe, Elizabeth, I promise."

Bess smiled at his words and took a deep breath. Her babies were safe. Henry was safe. And for the next few hours whilst she tried to sleep, those two facts would be the only thing that brought her comfort.

* * *

Ellen walked into her house, closing the door as quietly as she could, hoping not to wake her daughter.

Taking a few steps into the kitchen she stopped, smiling at what she saw. Although her daughter was in bed, all of her study guides, notebooks and pens were spread across the kitchen table.

Putting her bags down and kicking off her shoes, she wondered if she should stay up. Come up with a plan or parts of a plan to help herself and the secretary tomorrow.

After a long moment she shook her head. She needed sleep, much like she told Elizabeth. Neither of them would be much use to anyone running on empty.

Making her way upstairs, she made a mental note to clean up as much as she could tomorrow morning before she left.

Stopping by her daughter's room she pushed the door open as quietly as she could. Taking a moment, she smiled at the young girl. Ellen had missed her lately. She'd been so busy working, and when she was home her daughter had her head in study guides, hoping to pass all her exams next month.

"Mum?"

Ellen took a few steps into the room and sat on the end of the bed.

"It's okay, love. Go back to sleep," Ellen told her, reaching out to stroke her hair before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Within a few minutes the teen was fast asleep again, but Ellen still didn't move.

Her daughter was here, she was home and safe. Ellen promised herself that she would never let anything happen to her little girl, but it was in situations like this that she realised it wasn't always up to her.

But for now, she could get a few hours of sleep in knowing that her daughter was safe, asleep down the hall.

Tomorrow, she would be back in work mode and she would see those thirty children as her own. Ellen knew she would do whatever she could to get them back home safely.

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Thank you for reading. Reviews are welcome and loved! Until next time,  
Bethany-Louise.


	4. Chapter 4

**Friend on the Inside.**

Apologies for taking so long to update. I hope this will be worth the wait!

Thank you so much to ' **Sardixiis'** for being a fantastic beta and helping me with the story line.

Reviews are welcome and loved! I hope you enjoy!

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing.  
**

* * *

Bess had never been happier to see Ellen as she stood outside the State Department the next morning. Her smile got even wider when she saw the other woman holding two cups of coffee.

"Ellen, I really don't want to be selfish, but I am hoping one of those is for me."

Ellen chuckled slightly and nodded.

Handing one of the cups over to Elizabeth, Ellen took in how the Secretary looked. Admittedly, Bess didn't look too well rested, but hopefully she would have gotten a few hours.

"Did you manage to get any sleep last night, ma'am?" Ellen asked, hoping it wasn't over stepping the mark.

"A few hours. Hopefully some coffee will wake me up a little," Bess replied as they headed towards the elevators.

"You can call me Elizabeth, by the way," Bess added with a smile.

Ellen only nodded in response. She remembered Bess telling her to call her Elizabeth yesterday, but she knew that it would never happen. Addressing the Secretary of State as just Elizabeth seemed wrong somehow.

Last night Ellen had laid awake thinking of every possible outcome. It wasn't the wisest thing to do, but she did think she'd come up with a plan. All she could do now was explain it to Bess and hope that she agreed. Or had a different, but better, plan altogether.

As the two women moved through the State Department Ellen watched as Bess greeted her staff, listening to them all reel off a load of information she needed to know.

"Okay," Bess said coming to a stop just next to Blake's desk.

"In five minutes I need everyone in the conference room," she said simply, waiting a moment for everyone to nod and move out of her way before she carried on walking.

Ellen walked a few steps behind, taking everything in. She wasn't that well acquainted with the department, but it seemed simple enough to grasp. Much like the Pentagon everyone kept to themselves.

Once safely in the Secretary's office, Ellen wondered if now was the right time to give Bess a step by step guide to her plan. She assumed Bess wanted to tell her staff about what was going on, and maybe they would prove helpful in finding information.

"Elizabeth, I think I may have a plan."

Ellen knew she didn't sound at all confident. This was new for her too.

Bess looked up from where she was sitting at her desk. She had been moving various files about after she'd walked in and sat down. Elizabeth gave Ellen her full attention, motioning to the seat in front of her desk.

"Let's hear it. I was hoping you would have something," Bess said with a smile.

It wasn't really a 'smile' sort of conversation they were about to have, but Bess was still pleased that Ellen had come up with a plan. Even if it didn't work, or if they had to change certain aspects, it was a start.

Ellen took a seat, putting her briefcase on the empty chair next to her.

"Okay, so the first thing to do would be to find out where those kids are. If they are still able to move around the city freely and with the other members of staff, that might help us," Ellen began, looking to Elizabeth to see if she followed.

Taking in her expression of confusion, Ellen reached into her bag, pulling out a brown folder that she then placed on the desk.

"Right. So, we assume Nadeem wants to take these children to Disah. If we're right, then those kids are as good as gone, but there is a chance that these children are still following some form of school itinerary."

Elizabeth nodded at what Ellen was trying to say. She was trying hard to focus with such little sleep.

"That plane was hijacked. It was a small commuter plane. Meaning the other members of staff were probably not aware of Nadeem's plan until they touched down. Even in Pakistan, it would look odd for a group of American kids to land at an International Airport and then just disappear."

Bess nodded. She was now beginning to understand where Ellen was going with this.

"Maybe we could get in touch with one of the kids? If they're moving around the city freely or in small groups Nadeem can't keep an eye on all of them," Elizabeth mused.

"We could contact the embassy, get some people on the streets looking for these kids. I would suggest we do that first. If we get in touch with a child whom Nadeem is watching, we could risk them getting hurt," Ellen put in. It was close enough to her plan.

"Moving forward, I think we should get my staff on getting information on those kids and all that they can find on Nadeem. Starting with his interview with the FBI. Then I think it's time for me and you to have a chat with our embassy in Pakistan."

Ellen nodded in agreement.

Elizabeth moved towards the door. She couldn't keep her staff waiting any longer. Once in the conference room, she took her seat whilst Ellen stood near the door.

"Right, yesterday I got a phone call from the Head Master of the Saint Anne's school. Thirty students who were scheduled to take a trip to Greece ended up in Pakistan," Elizabeth explained looking at her staff to see their reactions before continuing.

"The Head Master is coming in this morning. Nadine, I want you to speak to him. We believe that a man by the name of Amir Nadeem, who is an assistant with the school, hijacked the commuter plane they were travelling on. For those who haven't put two and two together, Amir Nadeem and Jibral Disah were once childhood friends."

Elizabeth looked to Ellen wondering if there was anything she wanted to say. When the other woman didn't speak Elizabeth addressed each member of her staff.

"Blake, I need you to set up a video link with our embassy in Pakistan. Daisy, the press doesn't know about this yet and as far as we know the parents still believe they're in Greece, so let's keep it that way. Everyone else, I need to know all I can about Amir Nadeem and I also need up-to-date pictures of these kids. Nadine is going to give you all their names and information. Finally, if you didn't notice already, Ellen Hill is going to be assisting us with this. The White House hasn't been informed, but I assume Russell Jackson will find out at some point today and make an impromptu visit, so Blake, keep an eye out."

Elizabeth took a deep breath, once again looking to Ellen to see if there was anything she wanted to add.

Ellen nodded slightly, taking a small step forward before she spoke.

"I am aware you all know protocol, but this information cannot leave this room. Ms. Tolliver, when you speak to the Head Master he needs to know that he cannot talk to the press or the parents. If Nadeem gets wind that we know what he's doing, then we assume the worst. The worst being we lose those children to terrorists." Ellen tried to be as nice about it as possible.

Both women knew everything else would be pushed to the side today because their sole focus would be those children and bringing them home safely.

"Ma'am, I can have the Embassy in Pakistan online in five minutes," Blake said, breaking the short silence that had settled. Clearly, everyone was still taking in the news.

"Ma'am, if I can ask, what happens if the media does get hold of this?" Daisy asked.

"Then we need to come up with an appropriate response. We are doing all we can to make sure we bring those children home safely."

"Would it be wise to release a statement without the parent's knowledge, Ma'am?" Ellen asked.

"With all due respect, ma'am, the media can easily make this worse than it is. I don't think staying quiet whilst we inform families will do us any favours," Daisy explained, more to Ellen than to Elizabeth.

"With all due respect, Miss Grant, these parents trusted the teachers and assistants at that school to look after their children on a trip outside of the United States. It will be bad enough if we tell them. But for them to find out their children could be prisoners of a terrorist through the news, could be worse. That is when parents take things into their own hands, trying to make deals and pay ransom demands."

Elizabeth was slightly shocked at the small outburst but took it into account.

"Ellen is right. We can't risk those parents trying to get in touch and make deals with either of these men. When we have established a plan with the embassy in Pakistan we should tell the parents. Hopefully the media will still be none the wiser. It's not so much about how this will look to the press, this is about getting those kids home, no matter what."

Everyone nodded.

Back in the office Ellen was sitting in one of the chairs by Elizabeth's desk, whilst Blake was on her computer setting up the video call.

"The connection is a little slow, Ma'am, but we should have video in a few minutes."

Elizabeth nodded, taking a few steps forward.

"Ma'am, I would like to apologise for how I spoke to your staff. I was out of line. I will apologise to Miss Grant the next time I see her," Ellen explained turning slightly to see Elizabeth.

Bess smiled, but shook her head.

"You were right. I can't even imagine how guilty these parents are going to feel once they learn where their kids really are. If I am being totally honest, I am surprised one of the children haven't told them…" Bess went to carry on, but Blake interrupted.

"We're online with Jeremey Cole, Head of Operations with our embassy in Pakistan."

Blake quickly moved out of the way to let Elizabeth sit down.

"Mr. Cole, thank you for speaking with me. I'm here with Ellen Hill, National Security Advisor."

"Morning, Madam Secretary. Yes, I know Ms. Hill. How can I help?"

Bess looked over at Ellen. This had seemed so easy to explain until they actually had to explain it.

"A few days ago, thirty children from the Saint Anne's school in D.C touched down in Pakistan after their plane was hijacked. We learnt a few hours ago that the man who hijacked this plane has connections to Jibral Disah," Elizabeth told him, trying to gauge his reaction.

"You want the embassy's help to get them home?"

It was more of a statement than a question, but Bess answered it regardless.

"Yes. We are going to send you the information on both Amir Nadeem, our hijacker, and these children. We are hoping that some of them our still moving around the city freely. If they are, with your help we can get them to safety."

Elizabeth didn't want to mention the 'if not' right then. She was hoping that Nadeem had let these kids out of his sight just long enough for someone to rescue them.

"I will review all of the information you send, as well as try and locate the children's cell phones. If their cell phones are switched off then we will have to go through CCTV, which as you know, might take a little longer," Mr. Cole explained, much to the dismay of both women.

"I understand, Mr. Cole. But as I am sure you're aware, we don't know how long these kids have."

"I'm aware, Ma'am. I will get a team on it right away. Once we have located some of the children, or Nadeem himself, I will let you know," Mr. Cole said.

"We want hourly updates," Bess put in before he could say anything else.

"Yes, ma'am. If that's all?"

"That's all. We'll speak again in an hour," Elizabeth told him, a little cooler than normal.

She was still hoping that one of those kids had left their phone on. CCTV could take hours, possibly days. Islamabad was a big city, not to mention how over-populated and crowded it was.

Bess ended the call, leaning back in her chair. She wished that'd gone differently. She was hoping that when this all started two days ago that she could simply get them to an airport or Afghanistan and bring them home. To her, getting the embassy involved was a last resort.

"It's a start, Ma'am. We should remain positive. I don't know any teenager who can live without a phone, so there is always hope that one of those thirty have their phones on."

Bess smiled. Ellen was right, no teenager could really go days without a phone.

"I'll let Blake know to have all the information sent to Mr. Cole."

Elizabeth got up from her chair, moving around her desk. She was about to reach the door when Ellen stopped her.

"Ma'am…"

"You're never going to call me Elizabeth, are you?" Bess interrupted with a smile.

"No, Ma'am. I was going to suggest informing the President. Now that we have the embassy involved there is more chance of him hearing about it," Ellen suggested.

"I would like to wait. Wait until the Embassy has a lead either on Nadeem's whereabouts or the kids. Once we have a solid lead we can go on, then we inform the President. Until then, we just hope Russell Jackson is preoccupied."

Bess smiled, hoping that her decision would pay off in the end.

It wasn't even 9:00 am and already she could tell this would be a long day. But it would be worth it if she could get those kids home safely. Those kids getting back to the US would be the goal that would keep her going, and she assumed it would be the same for Ellen and her staff.

* * *

Let me know what you thought, like I say reviews are welcome and loved!  
Thank you for reading! Until next time,  
Bethany-Louise.


	5. Chapter 5

**Friend on the Inside.**

Again, I apologise for the time it took to get this chapter uploaded.

As always, thank you so very much to **'Sardixiis'** for being a great Beta and also helping with the story line and ideas!

I hope you enjoy part five. Like always reviews are welcome and loved!  
 **Disclaimer – I don't own anything.  
**

* * *

Elizabeth had lost count of how many laps she'd done around the seventh floor of the State Department. It felt like they'd been waiting hours for the embassy to get back to them.

Blake had emailed pictures and information about the children over to them first, so they could attempt to track their cell phones and if that failed then the pictures would help the embassy identify them on CCTV.

"Ma'am?"

Elizabeth stopped just past Nadine's office. Turning around she saw Ellen stood, looking at her, slightly concerned.

"You've paced the floor fifteen times. I think maybe you should come and sit down."

Ellen was slightly shocked. She'd never seen Elizabeth so stressed. The secretary had dealt with cases much worse since being sworn in.

Bess nodded slightly, turning fully to walk back to her office. Ellen let the other woman pass her before following.

"I can't help but think of my own children," Bess admitted quietly. She wondered if or not to open up to Ellen. Clearly, she needed to talk to someone, and normally that would be Henry, but she knew he was in meetings all day.

"I understand. I would be slightly worried if you were not thinking about your children. These children are about the same age as your son, aren't they?" Ellen asked, moving to sit in the chair that she was now considering hers.

Elizabeth nodded in response.

"I can't even imagine what these parents will feel when we tell them. I wondered if just keeping them in the dark would be a good idea…" Bess trailed off with a slight laugh. That was definitely one of the worst ideas she'd ever had.

"As a parent, Ma'am, I would want to know. Despite all of the anger and guilt I would feel, I would want to know everything. At the end of the day, all these parents want is their children home."

Bess nodded. Ellen had a point. A really good point.

Elizabeth ran a hand over her face before taking a deep breath.

"I hate playing this waiting game. There is nothing we can do until we know where those kids are," Elizabeth said.

Both women knew the embassy were doing all they could, but at the same time they could only work so fast.

Moments passed where the two women remained silent. Neither of them had anything useful to say.

"I know you want a solid lead, but I do think you should reconsider telling the President. He set up a task force to find Disah, and I don't think keeping this information from them will be helpful in the long run," Ellen explained, hoping Elizabeth would reconsider. She knew the Secretary wouldn't keep POTUS out of the loop for long, but right now Ellen thought it was only right to read him in.

Elizabeth nodded before she began to go through her options. Telling the President would be a definite. Ellen was right, there was a task force for finding Disah and she and Ellen could have potentially found him.

Then there was the plan. Track the children down, get a few teams from the embassy to pick them up, have them brought back to the US.

Of course, there were potential setbacks. The biggest one being Nadeem. If he had some, or all, of the children with him then they'd need a backup plan.

Bess sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Maybe the task force will have some other options for us. The plan we have could work, but I want to know we have a backup plan if it doesn't. This plan will work if the kids are scared because they will more than likely believe that our embassy is going to help them. Either way, if they want to join Disah or if they don't, should Disah or Nadeem find out about our rescue…" Bess hesitated.

"We could get them all killed," Ellen finished the sentence for her. She could sense Bess wasn't going to say it out loud and as much as it pained her to say it, it needed to be said. That was what they were dealing with.

"Okay. We'll take this to the President. As of now our plan is to find out where those children are in the country. Maybe we could use the Task Force to get a clearer picture into the kids' lives. Once we find out where they are and we can make sure we know for certain these kids knew nothing about the hijacking, we can plan a rescue operation."

Elizabeth hoped she'd explained it well enough.

"If we're taking this to POTUS, I think it may be in our favour to keep both the press and parents in the dark until we know what we're dealing with. I know that contradicts what I said before, but all parents believe their children are angels. I don't think they'd be much help if our opening statement is 'I think your child has gone to join a terrorist group.'"

Part of Bess wanted to smile. Thank god Ellen was here.

Not that she wasn't sure of her own abilities, but she missed having someone to bounce ideas off. Someone to talk things through with, and also someone to help her see the bigger picture. Ellen was helpful in more ways than one. For starters, she had more military experience in her right hand than Elizabeth would gain in a lifetime. Ellen seemed to be able to detach herself from everything in order to do her job well. But mainly, Elizabeth would be thankful for the small encouragement and the friendship that was starting to grow.

"Murphy Station may be of good use, certainly if this becomes a hostage situation. The task force knows more about Jibral Disah than we do," Ellen said, knowing that Elizabeth would have thought about sending in the task force.

Elizabeth nodded in agreement, but deep down, she was still hoping that these kids would be in a public place away from Nadeem and would be in the safe custody of the U.S embassy before sunrise tomorrow.

After getting an update from Jeremy Cole, it was clear this would take longer than expected. All of the cell phones had been located in a hangar at the airstrip the commuter jet landed on.

"Clearly, he didn't want them to be found. He left their cell phones on the plane and so far, he is staying away from public places."

Elizabeth sighed in frustration.

"Mr. Cole and his team are still looking through CCTV. I think in the meantime we should take this to POTUS. This situation is starting to get more and more serious. We don't know what Nadeem is capable of on his own, but we do know what Disah is capable of. Given the fact Nadeem hijacked a plane and managed to get thirty American kids out of sight, means he is bad news. Put him and Jibral Disah together and we could be looking at a significant loss of life situation," Ellen explained, although Elizabeth was well aware of the situation.

The three members of Murphy Station could be useful. Elizabeth would be the first to admit she would rather they didn't go, but that was personal, and also something she would have to deal with. Right now Murphy Station was their back up plan.

The three of them could travel to Pakistan, using the Embassy as a cover. They could use the teams within the Embassy to rescue the children.

"You want to draw straws on who gets to tell The President?" Elizabeth asked in all seriousness.

Ellen chuckled lightly.

"I believe that's your job as Secretary of State."

"Surely, this comes under your jurisdiction as National Security Advisor?"

Again Ellen chuckled.

"Our priority is getting those kids home safely. If that means I get shouted at by the President, then so be it," Elizabeth said before she turned to the door.

* * *

Walking down the corridor of the White House, Elizabeth was running through all they had so far. Another update from Jeremy Cole showed her that they were getting somewhere. A few of the kids had been spotted a few hours ago in the city's centre, and the team at the Embassy in Pakistan were working on finding a current location.

Arriving at the Oval Office, Elizabeth didn't acknowledge anyone other than the President himself when she got into the room. She could hear Ellen closing the door behind her, but didn't wait for the woman to come to stand with her before she began explaining the situation.

Once her explanation was over with, it was now her and Ellen's turn to listen whilst the President took it the situation.

"But the Embassy in Pakistan does have a lead?" Dalton asked, resting his elbows on his desk and interlinking his fingers.

"Yes, sir. The children were spotted in the city centre close to two hours ago. The team are working on tracking their current location," Ellen explained, hoping to get another phone call soon, so they would have something solid to go on.

"And should all thirty children be in the city centre then this is a simple mission to bring them home?" Conrad asked.

"The mission is the same regardless, sir. If all of the children are in the same place, then the embassy will get them back on American soil. If not, then we have to consider other options. Either way, our priority is to bring all thirty children back safe." Elizabeth wanted to mention bringing them back with as little trauma and upset as possible, but since they were in the middle of a very unstable country she thought it best to leave that out.

"So this plan will not fall apart if all of these children are not together?" Russell asked from the side of the room.

Bess was actually pretty surprised that he didn't know the situation already, but then again, if he did then Elizabeth would probably have been in the Oval Office hours earlier discussing this matter with the President.

"No. Multiple teams from the Embassy will be sent out to rescue the children.

I know this is already a hostage situation, but should we find out that some children are with Nadeem and possibly with Jibral Disah then we will send in our backup plan," Elizabeth answered Russell's question.

"The backup plan being?" The President asked.

"Murphy Station, sir. The task force knows more about Disah than we do and it's also a possibility that Murphy Station can bring down Disah and his people as well as save the children."

Conrad opened his mouth to speak but he was interrupted by Elizabeth's Blackberry.

"It's Jeremy Cole with the US Embassy in Pakistan."

Elizabeth didn't take her eyes off the screen. On the inside, she was begging for the phone call to hold some good news for herself and those children.

Getting a nod from the President, Elizabeth answered the call.

With all eyes on her Elizabeth tried to keep the phone conversation as quick as possible. She replied with 'yes' and 'no' and the occasional 'are you sure'.

She wanted to be sure that all the information she was getting was correct.

Elizabeth hung up only to look at the other three people in the room with an expression of relief mixed with newfound fear.

"Twenty-five of the children were found in a Market about ten minutes from the city centre. The other five children plus one member of staff are now assumed to be hostages of both Nadeem and Disah."

Elizabeth let out a breath, looking over to Ellen for a little support.

"So, instead of this being a rescue mission to get thirty children home, it's a mission to bring five children home?" Conrad asked.

"Yes, sir. There is the possibility that Nadeem let those twenty-five students go on purpose, but if he is expecting them back, or if he finds out the Embassy has them, then we could be putting those five children in even more danger," Elizabeth answered, the look of relief she wore moments ago was gone and replaced with professionalism.

"So, the embassy in Pakistan already has the twenty-five children?" Conrad asked.

"I told Mr. Cole to go ahead if he felt it was right to do so. Our main concern was that Nadeem had some of the children held hostage. Now we know that's the case we can work to finding a solution that keeps everyone safe, which admittedly would be our back up plan," Elizabeth explained.

"The Secretary is right, sir. The other possibility being that Nadeem and Disah only needed those five students. The member of staff could either be collateral damage, they took her because they were there, or Nadeem and Disah are planning on using all six of them," Ellen added, although she hoped her assumptions were wrong.

"Is Mr. Cole going to get us statements from the children?" Russell asked.

"He said he would try, but they are pretty shaken up. None of the staff could get much out of them."

"Well, that's understandable. They got all excited about a trip to Greece and ended up in one of the most unstable countries in the world with the childhood friend of a terrorist," Russell replied.

"I think we all agree on what needs to happen now," Conrad said, looking over to Bess.

Bess had hoped it wouldn't have come to this. She had hoped that all of the children would have been together, and all of them would be put on a plane tonight, bound for the U.S.

Now five children and a staff member could potentially be turned into human IEDs, and Elizabeth knew she needed to put all of her personal feelings about Henry going to Pakistan aside and get on board with what the President was suggesting.

Turning fully to the President, Elizabeth nodded only slightly, agreeing with his statement.

"We send in Murphy Station."

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Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you thought, again reviews are welcome and loved.  
Until next time, Bethany.


	6. Chapter 6

**Friend on the Inside.**

Back with part six! Is anyone still reading this? Please leave a review and let me know what you think!  
Thank you again to **'Sardixiis'** for beta'ring!  
Enjoy.  
 **Disclaimer – I own nothing.**

* * *

Elizabeth had never been so relieved, yet so nervous when leaving the Oval Office. With Ellen a few steps behind she was pleased that the other woman didn't start conversation.

Henry would be going to Pakistan. That was all she could think about. Henry, her Henry, going to Pakistan. Elizabeth had to keep reminding herself what the situation was and how Murphy Station was their best option.

"He'll be okay," Elizabeth whispered to herself as she came to a stop just before the door that lead out to her motorcade. Turning to Ellen she gave the woman a small smile.

"Would you like to go and get a drink before heading home?"

Elizabeth felt odd asking but she needed to. She needed a drink with someone who knew the situation and knew what the risks were.

Elizabeth hoped she'd say yes. The plan in her head was to have a drink and calm her nerves before going home to Henry and the kids. Right now, she assumed Henry would be with Jane and Jose, speaking to Russell about their upcoming mission. Later on tonight she would be at home waiting for him so they could give each other some much needed reassurance, but right now she just wanted a drink and some decent company.

"Sure, ma'am," Ellen replied as casually as she could.

Elizabeth smiled back at her before the two of them left the White House.

Elizabeth knew a drink would help, although she didn't want to admit it. She so badly just needed some time to relax and try to have a different point of focus for a while. She knew when she got home tonight her focus would be on Henry, those kids in Pakistan, and the mission at hand. Tomorrow, she would allow herself to panic but right now she needed some distance from it all.

* * *

There was only one bar in pretty much the whole of the U.S that Elizabeth could go into. It was a bar she'd been in many times since becoming Secretary of State and the only bar where her security felt comfortable.

"Sorry about the arrangements. The last thing I need right now is for the head of my security to have a panic attack. In all honesty, this was the first Henry and I came to after I got the job and since then we seem to keep coming in, so my security is familiar with the layout, all the exits, and the staff, so they feel comfortable with me coming in here."

Ellen laughed at the statement.

"No need to apologise. I understand. I had military security when I was Admiral, and after a few weeks I just began to accept that fact that I could no longer eat out," Ellen replied.

Elizabeth took a sip of her drink. This morning, when she got up and got ready, she pictured tonight differently. She imagined the Embassy in Pakistan picking up all the kids, then deciding how to get them home. She pictured herself getting into bed with her husband, knowing that tomorrow would be a better day. Instead, she would go home filled with nerves and anticipation.

"Ma'am, if you'd like to go home, I understand. It must be hard for you, knowing that this is the right thing, but also wanting it not to happen."

Ellen wondered if her words made sense, but Elizabeth seemed to nod a little.

"It was the right decision, and it's going to save lives, but…"

"It's personal."

Elizabeth went quiet for a moment. Looking over at Ellen, who's attention was on a loud conversation across the other side of the bar, Elizabeth wondered what she would do if it were her own child. When Elizabeth had found out what the issue was and just what they were dealing with, she took a moment to think about her own children, and just what she would do if Stevie, Alison or Jason were one of those thirty students, or even worse, one of the five that were still in danger.

"What would you do if it was your daughter? You know, if she was one of those thirty students? Would you sit and let someone else handle it? I know we have all these rules and regulations about not getting involved when it's personal," Elizabeth asked. She'd asked Henry the same thing and he said he would do all he could to bring his kids home, and Elizabeth knew she would move hell and earth to make sure her three babies were safe.

"If it was Caroline out there, I don't know what I'd do. I want to believe I would let people do their jobs, but at the same time not having my daughter is worse than not having my job."

Elizabeth smiled.

"Caroline, that's a pretty name. Let me guess, she's a Military Cadet, following in her mother's footsteps?" Elizabeth asked, watching for Ellen's reaction.

"Yes. Right now she is focused on passing her exams, but two nights a week without fail she's on the base with the other young cadets. Although, she much rather wants to be an engineer more than work in Naval Intelligence."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. It was easy to see why Ellen's daughter would want to follow in her mother's footsteps, given all that Ellen had done in the military.

"What about your children, ma'am? I heard your eldest daughter was starting law school?"

Ellen didn't take in much of the office gossip, but she remembered her assistant and some other secretaries in the office talking about how Stephanie McCord was going to Georgetown.

"She is. She started not too long ago, and so far Stevie seems to be enjoying it. Alison, my middle child, is very much into fashion. She writes a column for the school newspaper and sketches these really nice designs, so I think she is pretty set on taking the whole 'passion for fashion' thing as far as she can. Jason, well, I would be lying if I said he knew what he wants to do," Elizabeth explained without going into too much detail. Honestly, she still had no idea what Jason planned on doing over the next few years. Right now he was happy enough to play his video games and share his theories on war and politics at the dinner table. When Elizabeth actually made it home for dinner.

"They all seem like very smart, polite children, or adults if you will. The President has mentioned them a few times and he has always spoken highly of them."

Elizabeth frowned slightly.

"Mentioned them?" She pressed.

Ellen nodded.

"Only once or twice. I believe his son got brought up in a conversation and he mentioned how close Harrison and Stephanie were, and I believe the second time was when you were in Iran. He asked Mr. Jackson to find out how all three of them were doing. He mentioned that they were good kids."

Elizabeth smiled at what she heard. It wasn't often she brought up her children with the President, but it was nice to know that he spoke highly of them on the rare occasions he did speak about them.

Elizabeth and Ellen stayed in the bar for a few more hours before both women decided it was time to go home. Ellen was aware that Elizabeth would want to see Henry before he left for Pakistan, and Ellen wanted to see her daughter before she went to bed. Tomorrow was looking as if it could be a long day.

* * *

When Elizabeth got home she felt slightly disheartened walking into the dark house, lit only by a few lamps that had been left on. Clearly, all three of her children had gone to their rooms and Henry still hadn't made it back from the White House.

Dropping her bag on the floor, she thought about going to bed, but she knew that she would need to see Henry and actually speak to him before he left. The thought of going so long without seeing him scared Elizabeth.

They'd done it before, many years ago when his loyally lay with the Marines, then again when Elizabeth had found herself working in a basement at Langley for days at a time without speaking to anyone. Admittedly, they seemed to go days without _really_ speaking to each other now, but she knew this would be different.

Pakistan was not the most stable country. Pakistan was also 7,000 miles away with spotty cell service and awful video connection, which did nothing to calm the nerves Elizabeth could feel getting stronger and stronger.

After a few more minutes of being lost in her own thoughts, just standing in the entryway, Elizabeth heard the door open.

Turning to face Henry, she couldn't help but smile.

"How was it?" Elizabeth asked.

"Do you really want to talk about that right now?" Henry shot back with a small smile. He knew his wife well enough to realise that right now all she wanted to do was to go upstairs and just lay together for a while.

"No."

"Well then, let's go upstairs. We don't have to talk about it right now."

Elizabeth nodded at what he said before waiting for Henry to move closer. Once Henry was only inches away from her, Elizabeth leant up to kiss him.

"It's all going to be okay, babe."

Henry knew better than to promise anything, however much he wanted to.

"I know. I know."

"Come on, let's go upstairs. I can sort everything else out later."

Henry reached out to take her hand, before leading her towards the stairs.

Just before either of them could make it up the first step Elizabeth stopped him.

"I love you, Henry."

"I love you too, babe."

Henry could have said so much more in the moment, but he knew that the simple 'I love you' would be enough for them both.

That simple 'I love you' would be the small, personal thing that got them both through the next few days.

* * *

Thank you for reading. Please let me know what you thought and if you're still enjoying this! Until next time, Bethany.


	7. Chapter 7

**Friend on the Inside.**

I'm sorry it took so long to update! I hope it was worth it! Thanks again to **'Sardixiis'** for all of the help!

Please let me know what you think, reviews are loved and appreciated!

 **Disclaimer – I don't own anything.**

* * *

Elizabeth felt sick. Sick with fear, sick with nerves. Sick. She'd known from the moment she got up that morning that today would be hard. Henry had left in the small hours to catch a plane that would take him and two others to Islamabad.

She assumed the children that were being held hostage would have stayed awake, shaking in whatever cold dark room she imagined them being in. She wondered if Ellen or her staff had gotten much sleep. Either way, once she entered the White House it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't matter if she'd slept for hours or had had a five-minute nap on the journey from her home to the White House. Once she was in that building she was to be awake and alert and professional, despite the fact that all she wanted to do was have her husband home and spend the day cuddled up in bed away from harm.

"Good morning, ma'am." She was greeted by Ellen who held out a cup of coffee, that Elizabeth was grateful for.

"Good morning, Ellen," Bess said with a forced smile. She just needed five more minutes of peace and a little coffee before she could focus on the day.

Thankfully, Ellen seemed to notice that Elizabeth still needed some time, and just walked in silence two steps behind the Secretary as they both made their way to the Oval Office.

Each of them had their own thoughts. Elizabeth was trying hard to focus, but everyone knew she would be on edge. After all, it was her husband that was part of the three-person team that would be saving those children and putting themselves in harm's way.

Ellen, on the other hand, had been doing this for long enough to know how to switch her emotions off. Although this morning she had dropped her daughter at school and given her the 'stay safe and come straight home at three' pep talk.

Elizabeth assumed the President would also have some personal feelings towards the mission. He was a father, and although his son was safe and sound walking the streets of DC with four secret service agents, a parent couldn't help but think about the 'what if's.'

As Elizabeth and Ellen reached the Oval Office, the two seemed to stop at the same time and share a look.

"If everything goes to plan, Elizabeth, Henry will be home by tomorrow evening and we can say we saved thirty children from one of the world's worst terrorists. I know it's not much in the way of comfort, but you need to keep in mind the good thing that Henry is doing out there, and know that he will come home."

Elizabeth gave Ellen a small smile, but words failed her. Ellen was right. Henry would come home and the team could say they saved lives.

"Are you ready, ma'am?" Ellen asked after another moment of silence.

"Let's go save the world."

Elizabeth looked up for the fifth time, making momentary eye contact with Russell, before her eyes flicked to the large screen at the end of the room. As hard as she tried, her focus was not in the right place. How could it be? Elizabeth repeated Ellen's words in her head, hoping it would help with her nerves, but after what happened to her in Iran, she couldn't help but picture the worst.

"Our team is about an hour out, sir. They've reached the embassy and are now on route to the compound in which we think Nadeem and Disah are holding the hostages," Admiral Parker informed the President.

"What about the other children, are they still in the embassy?" Russell asked, looking from the Admiral, to the screen, then to the President.

"No, they left Pakistan on a 747 early this morning. The plane should land in Dulles at around 10pm sir. With the 14-hour flight and the time difference, the children will be taken straight to the Walter Reed Medical Centre. There they will receive treatment."

"What about parents?" The President was quick to ask.

"They will be informed this morning. I was told the State Department would handle it."

"Bess?"

"Nadine and my staff are on it, sir." Elizabeth gave a forced smiled, not taking her eyes off the screen, hoping she would see something that would keep her nerves at bay and her mind occupied.

"What are our escape options?" Elizabeth heard Ellen ask. She'd noticed a while back that Ellen, Admiral Parker and General Reeves kept engaging in hushed conversation. As much as Ellen said she loved working as the National Security Advisor, Elizabeth imagined she both loved and missed the military.

Her brain heard the word 'escape' and Elizabeth hated herself for thinking the worst. Of course, an escape plan needed to be thought out. It was a vital part of any operation. Then she reminded herself that this wasn't any normal operation.

"We're hoping it won't come to that, but we have JSOC on standby as well as two planes stationed at our base near the Pakistani border in Afghanistan," Reeves replied, before holding up is notebook, to most likely give the other two proof.

"Torkham?" Ellen questioned.

"Yes."

Elizabeth smiled upon hearing that, although she wasn't supposed to be listening.

Knowing that JSOC was on standby and that at least twenty men with two planes where in range of Islamabad made Elizabeth breathe a little easier, but she knew that wouldn't last. All it was going to take was for her to hear her husband's voice, or see his face on that screen and she knew she would be fighting to remain as professional as she could.

* * *

"We should hear from Henry in about five minutes, so maybe we should go back in there?" Ellen smiled as she spoke quietly to Elizabeth in the hall.

"Yeah, I just needed a minute."

"I understand. I'll leave you for a moment…"

"Ellen." Ellen turned to face the Secretary, waiting for what Elizabeth was going to say.

"I want my husband home, no matter what. I need him home."

Ellen gave Bess a small smile before stepping back towards her.

"Henry will be fine, Elizabeth. We have JSOC on standby, we have another team just on the border of Pakistan and both Jane and Jose are fully trained. They will all keep each other safe and we will get them all back, the hostages included. Right now, we need to look at the positives."

Elizabeth smiled, Ellen was right.

Bess took another deep breath before both women returned to the situation room, although Bess couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bad was going to happen.

"Two minutes and counting until Murphy Station check in, Sir."

The President gave a short nod, before looking at Bess.

"You okay?"

Bess smiled slightly, she couldn't open her mouth.

She knew she should, and she knew Russell was probably glaring at her for not answering the President, but she had bigger things to worry about than protocol.

Elizabeth took a deep breath as the 2-minute mark approached. She was nervous and scared, but more nervous. She wanted to see Henry, but a part of her also wanted to see Jose and Jane, just to make sure all three were okay.

"I thought you said they were two minutes out?" Elizabeth asked, the second after the two-minute mark, she tried to sound somewhat firm, but she was sure her voice sounded just as scared as she felt.

"They were, ma'am," a voice confirmed.

"Then where they hell are they?"

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! Please let me know what you think. Should I keep going, are you enjoying this? Again, reviews are loved and appreciated!  
Bethany.


	8. Chapter 8

**Friend on the Inside.**

Finally got this done! I am planning another one, maybe two more chapters before we come to an end!

Like always, thank you to my beta reader **'Sardixiis'**!

Hope you enjoy this, please let me know what you think!

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing.**

* * *

When Ellen had walked back into the Sit Room after she and Elizabeth had taken a short break, she'd stood behind Bess instead of going to sit down. She thought Bess would need the support. Ellen was thankful she had, but even with all her experience, she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of fear in the pit of her stomach.

"Sir, we have a strong connection. This could simply be a matter of Murphy Station being late."

Elizabeth willed Russell to shoot back some overly sarcastic comment, but that never happened.

Bess glanced at the clock once more. Three minutes. They were supposed to check in three minutes ago. Why hadn't they checked in? Elizabeth could feel her breathing getting faster. She tried to think of all the coping mechanisms she'd taught herself since day one on the job. She knew right now she couldn't become a panicked, crying mess on the floor. Elizabeth needed to be strong. She needed to be the Secretary of State overseeing a mission and not a wife who was praying her husband was okay.

Ellen seemed to notice, but she knew there was nothing she could do now that would help. The only thing that would ease Elizabeth's panic would be to see Henry's face on that screen. So, the older woman decided to place her hand on the Secretary's shoulder in a hope to provide her some comfort, or just let her know what she wasn't alone.

Within seconds of Ellen placing a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder Henry's voice could be heard as the screen came to life with the three faces of Murphy Station.

Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief and wondered how hard this would get. They hadn't even begun the mission yet and she already felt as though she would fall apart.

Admiral Parker began with the questions, and Bess took in as much as she could.

They would watch the abandoned building in which the hostages were being held, then they would go in once they felt confident they could take down all targets as well as the leader himself. From the surveillance that the US Embassy in Pakistan had done, it became clear that both Disah and Nadeem stayed through the night. Which worked in Murphy Station's favour, as they could save the lives of those kids and possibly take out the world's worst terrorist in the process.

"We'll check in at 21:00," Jose said before looking to Henry, who nodded. Both he and Elizabeth knew this was no time for 'I love you' but they'd been married long enough to know it didn't have to be said, they both knew it.

"We'll see you when we get home." It looked as though Henry was speaking to them all. However, everyone knew that it was aimed at Bess, and she was more than grateful for his words of reassurance.

With that the screen went black, and it was back to the waiting game.

* * *

"Thought you could use this." Ellen's voice brought Bess out of her thoughts.

Bess had gone back to her office. There was nothing she could do at the White House, however much she wanted to be there.

"You're going to have to stop bringing me coffee, otherwise I will start expecting it."

Ellen chuckled slightly as she placed the cup on Elizabeth's desk.

"I needed a break from paperwork, and I thought you could use some company. Plus, I am not sure how much longer I could listen to my secretary go on about her wedding."

Bess smiled.

"I heard that you went a few weeks without a secretary and survived."

"It was nice, although my photocopying skills were a little rusty, but she's back now."

"I was partially dreading having a team of staff to help me out. I was so adamant about doing it myself, I thought I didn't need anyone else, but they are good people, and lifesavers at times," Bess admitted, putting her pen down and picking up the coffee cup Ellen brought her.

"Sit down, please," Bess said before taking a sip.

With Ellen standing in front of her desk it seemed too formal. Although it hadn't been long Elizabeth was beginning to see Ellen more as a friend than a colleague. Bess seemed to have more personal conversations with Ellen than she had done with anyone of her other friends when they first met. Bess began to like the idea of her and Ellen becoming friends more and more as the drama unfolded in Pakistan. Both women had to same talent of being able to switch from personal to professional within seconds and when they were being professional, they had the same drive to help people, Elizabeth would be the first to admit she needed a friend like that, and selfishly, it was nice to be able to work with another woman, instead of being surrounded by men.

"Thank you for earlier too. It's not often I lose my cool, but…" Bess trailed off, knowing Ellen would understand the rest.

"I know what that's like. You're sitting in a room, wishing you could do something, but at the same time being completely powerless. Henry's a good man, and Jane and Jose are good people, good people who are well trained, so I think that by sunrise in Pakistan, we'll be getting a video call from a Navy chopper."

Elizabeth was pleased to hear Ellen's optimism.

"Are you always this positive about missions?"

"No. I have doubts and worries, but I thought you could use a little optimism, and my daughter is doing this thirty-day positive challenge off social media and forced me to do it with her."

Bess couldn't help but laugh.

"Ah, yes! The thirty day challenges. Alison loves those!"

Bess was happy to have just a moment of normal conversation with Ellen. Elizabeth's mind was so focused on what was happening with Henry and Murphy Station, that it was nice to have a moment where she could laugh.

"Is this different?"

"Ma'am?"

"Sorry. I mean, do you think the team or the President thinks this mission is different because Henry is out there?"

Ellen took a breath before nodding slightly.

"Elizabeth, we've all gotten to know you, but more than that we know your family. So, for me, Mr. Jackson, Admiral Parker, and General Reeves, we know that this is personal for you, and we take that seriously. I couldn't possibly speak for the President, but he's known you and Henry for a long time, and I'm assuming he's seen your children grow up. So, if I was him, I would be torn."

"Torn how?"

"I think the President is trying to do the right thing, and will do the right thing by getting those children home, and more importantly, taking down a terrorist, but like I said he's known you and Henry a long time. I assume there is a part of him that sees this as personal too."

Elizabeth frowned slightly.

"Conrad Dalton doesn't seem like the kind of man who would want you to lose everything."

Elizabeth had no idea Conrad would even begin to think like that. It didn't bother her though. He was the President. His focus should be on the safety of the country. Even though it didn't bother her, Elizabeth found slight comfort in thinking that Conrad wouldn't want her to lose her husband.

"Why don't we talk about something else? I know your mind is on this mission, but you look as though you could use a break from battle plans and politics," Ellen suggested.

Bess looked slightly lost at what the National Security Advisor was suggesting, but Ellen seemed to notice.

"I'm suggesting we go get some decent coffee outside of the office."

"I think that might be the best thing I've heard since I got up this morning."

* * *

The café Ellen had suggested was quiet. Although, Elizabeth was pleased it was just coffee. She wasn't sure she could stomach food right now.

"How are you holding up?" Ellen asked, hoping she would see a different side to Elizabeth now they were out of the office.

"Secretary of State Elizabeth, or wife Elizabeth?"

"Both."

"Secretary of State Elizabeth, knows that we came up with the right plan. I know that sending in Murphy Station was the right call to save lives," Elizabeth paused.

"Then, wife Elizabeth, can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen, someone is going to get hurt. Then on top of that I feel bad for lying to the kids. I know in the past we've lied, but something bad might happen to Henry and then I would have to tell the kids…" Bess hated herself for even thinking like that. The kids assumed whatever lie it was this time, and that's what Henry and Bess would go along with when he got back. It was hard to lie to the kids. It started when Bess was with the CIA, sometimes she wondered if the kids would buy it. ' _Mom has to go to a conference for a few days' or 'Mom is going to stay with Isabelle this weekend'_ those were two of the 'favourites' but there were others, this time was no different. Stevie, Ali and Jase couldn't know where Henry was, no one could, so the only thing Bess and Henry could do was lie, and in this case, all Bess could do was hope Henry came home.

"It's always hard lying to the kids. I know what that feels like, but, I would rather lie to my daughter than have her worry because she knows what I'm doing." Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

Since she didn't see Isabelle much these days, she missed having someone to talk to on a more personal level. She thought about how she and Ellen could become really good friends over the course of the next few months. She certainly felt as though she needed someone who she could speak to openly about everything, someone other than Henry.

"As hard as it is, you also have to try and think positive. Think about all the good that Murphy Station is doing…"

Bess pictured the smiles on those kids' faces when they saw their parents again, and then the smile she'd have plastered on her own face when she saw Henry for the first time since he left.

"I guess wife Elizabeth also finds it kind of hot. You know, Henry is saving lives, fighting with bad guys, playing the hero. From a wife's point of view that is really sexy."

Ellen couldn't contain her laughter at the comment. It really wasn't what she was expecting to hear from Elizabeth, but she was pleased that the Secretary of State, one, saw at least a little bit of good within all the fear, and two, had a good sense of humour.

"Okay. Well, I'll make no comment other than, I would keep that thought to yourself." Bess laughed too.

"Oh, I will!"

The laughter was interrupted by both Elizabeth and Ellen's phones vibrating.

"The President wants a briefing," Ellen stated.

"On what? We have hours before Murphy Station makes their move." Elizabeth frowned slightly, looking over to the other woman who just shrugged.

"I don't know, but whatever happens we have to remain positive. Are you ready to go?" It took Elizabeth a minute, mainly because her mind was suddenly swimming with images of bombs and guns and all other bad things that people associate with war zones.

"Yeah…"

* * *

The Oval Office was full of people when Elizabeth and Ellen finally arrived. The President was sat at his desk, with Russell stood to the left of him. Admiral Parker was the first to notice that Elizabeth and Ellen had entered the room and quickly moved to Ellen's side.

"What's going on?" Ellen whispered.

Elizabeth turned to face both Ellen and the Admiral as he explained the situation before the President could put an end to the countless arguments that had begun between the various people in his office.

"Parents of one of the kids went live. Full interview, everything. The Headmaster of the school did an exclusive as well." Elizabeth sighed slightly, worry evident on her face.

"Nadine was clear with him." Elizabeth made the comment more at Ellen.

"Is there any chance Nadine could have miscommunicated?" Parker asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know my Chief of Staff. There is no way this is her fault. Have we informed Murphy Station?"

Parker shook his head.

"The President wanted a briefing before anything else was done."

"Thank you," Elizabeth muttered to the Admiral, before turning to face the President.

Russell caught her eye as gave her a small smile, but it was soon replaced with a look of annoyance. The President stood up as a way to shut everyone up, but Elizabeth couldn't stay quiet.

"Ellen, if Nadeem has seen that interview…" Elizabeth whispered, knowing that Ellen would figure out the rest.

"We need to inform Murphy Station."

* * *

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you thought! Reviews are loved and appreciated. Bethany.


	9. Chapter 9

**Friend on the Inside.**

So, this is the end! Chapter 9!

I hope this was worth the wait, and it's a decent ending to the story!  
Thank you so much, again, to an amazing beta! **'Sardixiis'** you have been fantastic.

I hope this final chapter is enjoyable, thank you for reading, like always reviews are loved, welcome and appreciated! Enjoy.

 **Disclaimer – I own nothing.**

* * *

Elizabeth walked out of the situation room and nearly collapsed to the floor. Henry was safe. He was coming home. Jane and Jose were coming home and those children got to be reunited with their families.

"Elizabeth?" It was Ellen.

"Sorry, Ellen. Lost in my own world for a minute." Ellen nodded slightly.

"Don't worry. I wanted to walk you out. I assume you're heading back to the State Department before heading home early?" Bess chuckled before the pair began to walk down the hall.

"Is that your way of giving me orders, without breaking protocol?"

"You could say that."

"If I am not mistaken, Ellen, you have a daughter of your own." Ellen nodded, as they finally reached one of the outer doors.

"Would you like to say hi?" Ellen motioned to her left where Elizabeth could clearly see a young girl surrounded by what looked to be a team of Navy personnel.

"You knew she was here this whole time, and you never said anything?"

"I didn't know when she would be here, but sometimes she stops by, so I had a feeling that I could maybe introduce you both."

"I'd really like to meet her." Ellen smiled, before they moved in the direction of the teen.

"Thank you." Ellen thanked the guards who'd walked over with Caroline before she gave her daughter a hug.

"I take it it's been a long day?" Caroline asked.

"When is it not?" Elizabeth shot back before extending her hand.

"Madam Secretary, it's an honour and a pleasure to meet you. My mum has told me great things."

"Well, be careful what you believe. It's lovely to meet you, Caroline."

* * *

Arriving back home after what felt like hours of paperwork Elizabeth wanted to jump for joy at the smell of cooking and the sound of sibling rivalry coming from the kitchen area.

Henry wasn't due home until tomorrow night, but when he got home at some ungodly hour, they'd lie and say the conference ended early and he wanted to come home. It was easy enough to pull off.

"I smell food! Please tell me someone saved me some." Elizabeth threw her bag to the floor, kicking off her shoes near the stairs and making her way through to the kitchen, smiling when she saw her three babies in the kitchen. Normally, she would have stopped the petty arguments, but right now she was too pleased to see them to give them lectures on arguing.

"Hey mum! We're making Chinese. Alison's idea."

"We eat way too much takeout," Alison shot back.

"Nothing wrong with takeout…" Bess smiled, before she moved around the kitchen, kissing all three heads.

"Well, it smells good anyway, Noodle."

After another moment, Bess mentioned something to them about getting changed that she would be back for food.

Reaching the safety of her bedroom she couldn't help but feel the overwhelming urge to cry, or feel overly happy that right now she could cry. She was wife Elizabeth, not Secretary of State Elizabeth.

But earlier today they both seemed to be the same person.

" _All hostages safe and secure."_

" _Both subjects down."_

" _Mission success."_

" _Heading Home."_

 _Everything Bess was hearing through the connection seemed to be good news. The President was smiling, just as he should be. If he was not known for peace in the Middle East then at least he would be known as the man who saved thirty children and took out two of the most wanted terrorists at the same time._

 _Bess felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning slightly, she saw Ellen stood behind her._

" _Henry's okay. They're all coming home."_

 _Bess couldn't find the words to speak. She was too wrapped up in her emotions. She knew if she opened her mouth now she'd begin to cry, or possibly scream. Henry was safe, but still she wanted to scream at him. Tell him to never scare her like that again, but now wasn't the time or the place, and she knew in the back of her mind that tomorrow when she got to see him again it still wouldn't be the time or the place._

 _All that mattered now was that thirty children got to be reunited with their families and two evil men where alive no more. But in Elizabeth's mind, all that mattered was that Henry was coming home._

" _Well done, Bess." It was high praise coming from the President._

" _Thank you, Sir. But I really can't take all the credit. Ellen played a big part in putting this whole thing together, and making sure I didn't lose my mind in the process." Conrad smiled slightly before looking at Ellen._

" _Well done, to the both of you. Now, Bess if I'm not mistaken, you have children you haven't seen in two days." Elizabeth nodded before turning to give Ellen a small smile._

" _Thank you, Mr President."_

* * *

After a moment of standing in the middle of the room, Elizabeth set about getting changed into more comfortable clothing and spending the night with her children, and whilst that thought really did make her smile, she couldn't help but feel like a huge part of her was missing. She'd managed to push it aside whilst in the White House, but now she was home, and home was where Henry was supposed to be. Elizabeth dropped her shirt, looking around the room as she took in the fact she'd have to spend one more night alone. They'd been here before when he went into combat, but this was different.

This time, Elizabeth knew she had the power, the authority to save him, but she couldn't. Bess had stood side by side with officials in the Situation Room and looked on hopelessly whilst a mission took place in front of them.

Thinking back on the day she got the news that thirty kids had gone 'missing' in Pakistan, she would have never imagined it would take a whole military operation, her husband's safety, and a mild nervous breakdown to bring them home.

Bess made a mental note to praise her team when she went back to work tomorrow, as well as ask Ellen out for drinks. The mission had confirmed it. Elizabeth needed a close friend in the White House, also a friend whom she could speak to without being judged or without lying, and Ellen seemed to tick all the boxes.

Again, her mind floated to Henry and how much she wished she could vent to him. They were both on the same page, and legally they could speak to each other, but Bess wasn't sure if the law came into play right now. Elizabeth wanted Henry home. She wanted him to hold her. She wanted the sweet kisses they shared. She wanted to be able to lay close to him in bed. The thoughts made her heartache. On the one hand, all she had to do was wait a day and Henry would be safely back in the US, safely back by her side, but the other hand, _she had to wait a day before Henry would be back by her side._

Walking over to their bed, Bess sat down on his side. She knew he'd probably felt the same way when she'd been in Iran, maybe he felt the same some nights when she hadn't been home in days. Her mind questioned if he missed her like she missed him, but she pushed the thoughts away quickly, not wanting to be filled with doubt. Despite the heartache she felt at the thought of having to wait a further twenty four hours before the love of her life came home, she took pleasure in knowing that he was, in fact, coming home.

"MUM!" Elizabeth jumped slightly at the sound of her child screaming her name.

The realisation that she'd been so deep in thought that tears had begun to pool in her eyes, whilst her kids shouted downstairs, was enough to make her realise how much seeing Henry meant to her, and how much the last few days had gotten to her.

For a moment, she replayed the moment Henry was late to the check in point, how she felt, and then when that same feeling of dread, horror, hurt, anger, and slight heartbreak was there again in the silence between the sound of an explosion and Jane's words saying how everyone was safe and they were coming home.

"Alison burnt dinner. We're ordering take out." It was Jason, he was now stood in the doorway. She hadn't even heard the bedroom door open.

"Everything okay, mum?"

"Everything's fine, baby, it's just work," Elizabeth lied. Work was a good enough excuse, and it wasn't too far from the truth. That was what it was. Work. Henry had been part of her job. Maybe that was why it hit her so hard? Maybe it was because she'd seen people die, she'd seen missions gone wrong. But then again, they'd been here before. Elizabeth wondered if it was because they were meant to be safe. They had around the clock protection. She and her family were followed wherever they went. The CIA or military didn't provide that for them, way back when.

Maybe this all hit her so hard because Elizabeth thought she'd come so close to losing the love of her life when they were supposed to be protected?

Bess took a deep breath and hoped she masked it well enough for Jason to drop the subject.

"You know, I met a girl called Caroline today, and she's been cooking since she was 15." The statement was directed at Jason as the two walked down the stairs, but Bess also made sure to keep her tone light. She didn't want to deal with an irritable Jason tonight.

"Well, did her parents make her cook?" Stevie asked once Bess and Jason made it into the kitchen.

Bess looked over the counter. It was the usual mess of cooking utensils and the smell of burning.

"Her mother is the National Security Advisor and works every hour she can, so I assume it was either learn to cook or go hungry. But the point is, your father and I both work, so Jason, you should be able to make basic meals."

"I can make pasta." Bess chuckled. He had a point, and he sounded so much like his father.

She remembered when she and Henry had begun dating. Despite Henry's knowledge and passion, food was something he wasn't as passionate about, although he was more willing to try and learn than she was. Before long Henry was serving five star meals, whilst Bess' idea of dinner was left overs, more specifically, reheated lasagne, which, she still found herself shoving in the microwave at 2am after fighting for trade deals.

"Fine, but the minute your father gets home we're starting cooking lessons."

"When will dad be home?" Alison asked, and Bess had to try hard not to cry out of happiness. There was a moment, the moment that Murphy Station hadn't shown up to their check in, when Bess had wondered what she would be telling her children.

"He should be home tomorrow evening. So, Noodle, you can tell him how your maths test went and you, Jase, can tell him all about the McCord school of cooking. And Stevie, I am sure dad would love to hear about how your date went."

Stevie blushed slightly.

"Come on, she worked for the CIA, and besides you weren't the best at keeping it quiet," Jason said, with a slight smirk.

"Okay, take out should be here in 20 minutes, until then I have a homework project to start," Alison said, hugging her mother quickly before heading up the stairs.

Jason followed suit shouting something about his video game, and then Stevie waited a minute before smiling to her mother.

"Dad's not really at a Think Tank convention, is he?" Elizabeth stayed quiet for a moment.

"He'll be home tomorrow, baby." Stevie smiled and nodded before she too, made her way upstairs.

Elizabeth stood for a minute. Stevie knew the drill although Bess wouldn't admit it, but her youngest two, her babies, where none the wiser. So, as she stood alone in the kitchen with all her emotions and thoughts, she wondered if she should tell Stevie, have someone to cry with, but when she remembered the lies she'd told, she knew inside that she couldn't. Moving around the island in the kitchen she pulled the refrigerator door open, grabbing the bottle of wine that was half empty.

"Hell of a day," She muttered to herself almost as a toast as she poured the glass of wine.

Tomorrow.

Henry would be home tomorrow. She reminded herself as she sat down to enjoy the peace and quiet that, really, she knew she needed.

* * *

Tomorrow evening couldn't come fast enough. Elizabeth had been on the ball all day, making various arrangements for trips, pushing her staff team to their limits as she tried her hardest to be home for six, so she could finally be in her husband's arms.

It was the only picture she had in her mind. All the simple moments she and Henry had shared over the last twenty-five years, from walking hand in hand to waking up early on Monday morning, just to see each other for that little bit longer.

Ellen had been to the State department earlier that day and had brought along photographs and videos of the school children being reunited with their families. Soon after arriving Ellen felt it best to leave Bess to it, but not before the Secretary of State invited her and Caroline over for dinner in the coming weeks.

"Ma'am, Russell Jackson is here to see you," Blake said, a little out of breath, most likely from running to inform the secretary before Russell appeared in her office.

"Thank you, Blake." Bess smiled, greeting Russell as he walked in.

"I know you're wanting to go home, so I'll make this quick," Russell began, and for once Elizabeth was grateful. Right now, she didn't need another crisis to deal with.

"We've had some backlash over Pakistan. Nothing we can't handle for now, but the President wants you to be prepared in case we need to go live with it. Right now, as far as anyone is concerned, the school children are home safe and sound, and two terrorists have been killed. The media are speculating the US and Pakistani involvement," Russell explained, only looking up from his phone once.

"Well, we expected that. I mean, the US didn't confirm the operation, and Pakistan, well, they do all sorts of operations under the radar."

"Like I said, Bess, it's nothing we can't handle for now. I also came to tell you; the President is offering you time off. A week to be with your kids and Henry. He offered Ellen the same, but she turned it down. Apparently, her daughter spends more time either in school or on the Naval base." Russell gave a small smile, but Bess didn't think much of it.

"My kids think Henry was at a think tank convention, so taking time off could cause some suspicion in our house. I'll call Conrad later and thank him, but decline." Elizabeth really did like the sound of time off, but she knew she should be here, and that Henry would be okay with her working. All she wanted was tonight, to sleep next to him, to have him hold her, so she knew everything was okay.

Silence seemed to settle around Elizabeth and the President's chief of staff.

"Go home, Bess. Go see Henry and your kids. You deserve it," Russell said just as he was walking out of the office.

"Was that praise coming from Russell Jackson?" Elizabeth asked with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"I guess you'll never know." Russell carried on walking as he spoke, but then again, Bess didn't expect a 'well done'.

* * *

An hour after Russell walked out of her office she found herself pulling up to her townhouse.

Getting inside she slammed the door and dropped her bag in the middle of the entryway, taking a few steps forward before kicking off her shoes, trying to listen for any signs that her husband was home. God, she needed him home, she wondered what would happen if he wasn't. She hadn't been herself all day. There had been no sarcastic small talk with Nadine, she and Russell hadn't had their daily argument, and she hadn't spent thirty minutes doing laps around the seventh floor with Blake filling her in on, well, everything. All she had done was sit and wait. She's been on auto pilot, waiting for the clock to hit six, so she could come home.

"Hey mum!" Alison called as she came out of the kitchen, a slice of pizza in one hand and a glass of something in the other.

"Dad's home, he brought pizza." She smiled at her mother before sitting down. Bess stood for a moment, waiting for Henry to appear.

"Hey babe." Henry appeared soon after Alison did. He had a grin on his face and seemed to be happy considering he'd just been in an unstable country, then on a small aircraft for close to ten hours.

"Hey." Bess smiled moving forward to hug her husband. She wanted to burst into tears, but the voice in the back of her head reminded her that Henry had been at a think tank convention for the last few days, and not Islamabad.

"How was your convention?"

"Oh, you know how it goes," Henry whispered as he pulled Bess in for a hug, holding her as tightly as he could, knowing they both needed it.

"I'm so happy you're home, baby."

"I'm happy to be home." Henry moved his head back to kiss her lips, taking in how exhausted she looked.

"You did good, Elizabeth," Henry told her, hoping she would take the compliment without arguing. He knew all too well that at some point in the next week the floodgates would open, Bess would scream at him for being stupid and for scaring her, and they'd still end up in bed, cuddled together, knowing that at least in their bedroom the world was okay.

"I love you, Henry."

"I love you too, Elizabeth." They held each other's gaze for a moment before they were interrupted by Jason.

"Are you two gonna make out in the entryway or are you going to join us for pizza?"

"Pizza sounds good. I'm sure we can leave the making out until later." Elizabeth whispered the last part.

"I'm not going anywhere, babe." Elizabeth watched as Henry turned around, making some sarcastic comment about Jason and gaming, before he walked back into the kitchen, engaging in conversation with Stevie.

Thirty kids were safe and home and two terrorists had been killed, but most importantly, Henry wasn't going anywhere.

"Okay, well, since we've got take out again, I think now would be a good time for you, Jason, to tell your dad about what we discussed," Bess said as she walked further into the house, feeling the best she had felt in the last few days.

* * *

Thank you for reading 'Friend on the Inside' I hope it was a good read. Bethany.


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